It is impossible to overestimate the importance of B vitamins for our body. One of their most important functions is participation in the process of energy release of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, that is, these valuable vitamins provide us with energy from food. But we cannot live without energy!

Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine like other B vitamins, is soluble in water. Thus, if you consume a lot of it, the excess is excreted through urine (urine). Vitamin B6 plays an important role in the human body for protein metabolism, blood formation and as a fuel for the system.

For beautiful hair and skin, a sufficient amount of B vitamins is needed in the body, and for strong nails there are only two ways: B vitamins plus strengthening nails with biogel and other opportunities to have beautiful nails have not yet been found.

What you need to know about vitamin B6:

Vitamin B6 deficiency very unlikely, but still rarely occurs. The consequences here can be expressed in anemia, dysfunction of the nervous system, irritability and depression. You need to be careful with pregnant and lactating mothers, since a higher daily intake of vitamin B6 is desirable for them.

Overdose pyridoxine is also very unlikely. The consequences of a constant high intake of vitamin B6 could lead to damage to the nervous system and disturbances in the body's temperature sensitivity. Thanks to a balanced and healthy diet, excess or deficiency of vitamin B6 is extremely unlikely.

It is important to remember:

The recommended daily amount of vitamin B6 will depend on age and gender. For children aged 1-3 years, a daily intake of vitamin B6 in the amount of 0.4 mg is recommended. Children aged 4-8 should take 0.7 mg per day, ages 9-13 should take 0.9 mg per day. A higher daily dose of 1.9 mg per day is recommended during pregnancy.

Important Sources of Vitamin B6 these are: bananas, avocados, salmon, liver, meat, fish, eggs, cereals (cereals), potatoes, nuts and legumes. Leafy green vegetables, cheese and milk also contain vitamin B6, but in small amounts.

Since the vitamin is soluble in water, it is very important to use only a small amount of water, and preferably steam cooking. This allows you to preserve valuable vitamins in foods, including vitamin B6.

It is important to always remember that the functions of the various vitamins are closely related. Most often, a general deficiency of various vitamins in the human body is recorded, and not just vitamin B6.

If the law is unfair, then breaking it is good

Can you find someone who doesn't know that vitamin C is good for the body? But on this, perhaps, all our knowledge about him ends. Meanwhile there is a mass interesting facts about vitamin C.

The value of vitamins for the body

Vitamins are natural organic substances that every person needs. And they are vital. No wonder their name comes from the Latin - vita - "life".

Lack of vitamins can cause hypovitaminosis (vitamin deficiency). A complete absence can lead to vitamin deficiency - a serious illness.

1. Scurvy and vitamin C

One of the terrible diseases caused by vitamin C deficiency is scurvy. This deadly disease in the Middle Ages mowed the inhabitants of Europe no worse than the plague and cholera.

Seafarers especially suffered from this ailment, forced to sit for long months on a meager and monotonous food ration.

And it was sailors, who did not yet know anything about vitamin C, who were the first to notice that scurvy is less rampant where citrus fruits are eaten.

Lemons and oranges were introduced to the seafarers' diet. At the beginning of the 18th century, this tradition was continued by Peter the Great.

2. The discovery of vitamin C

The supremacy in the discovery of vitamin C was contested by many scientists around the world, including Russian researchers.

But the pioneer of vitamin C is the Hungarian biochemist Albert Saint-Györgyi, who in 1928. first isolated this substance from cabbage, red peppers and oranges.

3. Vitamin C - ascorbic acid

In 1933, Swiss scientists were able to synthesize an analogue of natural vitamin C. It was named ascorbic acid for its ability to fight scurvy, which in the old days was called "scurvy".

In other words, ascorbic acid is an anti-scorbutic (anti-scurvy) vitamin. The scientific name for vitamin C is L-ascorbic acid.

4. Characteristics of vitamin C

Pure vitamin C is a white crystalline substance with lemon flavor and odorless.

5. Sources of vitamin C

The body of most animals is able to produce its own L-ascorbic acid from glucose, which protects them from many diseases.

However, in the process of evolution, humans have lost the gene responsible for the synthesis of ascorbic acid. Therefore, it is so important for him to get vitamin C from food products or vitamin complexes.

6. Assimilation of vitamin C

The absorption of vitamin C in the body is very fast. Immediately after taking it, it instantly enters the bloodstream and penetrates into the cells, optimizing all body processes and arming it against many diseases.

7. Vitamin C - water soluble

All vitamins are divided into 2 groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Vitamin C belongs to the first group.

It does not accumulate in the body, and, washing out through the genitourinary system, disinfects it, preventing the development of inflammatory processes.

8. Vitamin C content

In nature, ascorbic acid is found in many vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs and non-food plants.

9. Destruction of vitamin C

Ascorbic acid is an extremely volatile substance... It is easily destroyed under the influence of water, light, temperature, oxygen, as well as during grinding and long-term storage of food.

When vegetables and fruits are soaked, vitamin C is transferred to the water.

In the air, oxidation of "ascorbic acid" occurs with the release of harmful substances. So the brown coating on a bitten apple is nothing more than copper, which in large quantities affects the central nervous system.

When vegetables and fruits are dried, frozen, salted, fermented, pickled and stored for a long time, they lose some of the vitamin C they contain.

The most stable is "ascorbic acid", which is found in fresh and sauerkraut.

10. Vitamin C when heated

Thermal cooking of foods containing vitamin C results in the loss of most of it. When boiling, frying and hot marinating - up to 90%.

11. How to store vitamin C?

• Eat vegetables and fruits as fresh and whole as possible, rather than in the form of salads.
• Subject them to minimal cooking, in a sealed container or in a slow cooker with minimal water.
• Submerge vegetables in boiling water.
• It is better to cook fruit drinks from berries and fruits than compotes and jams.

Interesting facts about vitamin C - this is a reason to read a series of articles about ascorbic acid.

Vitamins are special compounds that enter the human body along with food. They are extremely beneficial for the maintenance of vital functions, metabolism and organ performance. Each vitamin is endowed with a special property. Not a single product has been found that simultaneously contained all the substances required for life. Let's take a look at the most interesting facts about vitamins.

The first vitamin

Vitamin C was the first to be found and studied. For quite a long period it served as a cure for scurvy for sailors on long swims. People learned about it thanks to fresh products: fruits and vegetables. In 1911, K. Funk brought out a small amount of crystal-type powder. Just a few grams of this substance was enough to defeat the “Beri-Beri” disease (an illness caused by eating peeled rice) in a short period of time.

After some time, Funku was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery. He called his new element "vitamin". This term is translated from Latin as "life". It was since then that all the substances necessary for a person began to be called vitamins, and for easy classification they were assigned letters of the alphabet.

How many groups are there?

At the moment, 13 species have been discovered, each of which is vital for the proper functioning of body systems. This includes vitamins:

• group B,
• fat-soluble A, D, E, K.

Difference between elements soluble in different media (Water and Fat). Fat-soluble ones are characterized by the fact that they are deposited in tissues, while water-soluble ones, except for B12, practically do not have such a feature. Their lack causes a lack of substances much faster than a deficiency of fat, a person needs to get them without interruption.

What is the importance of vitamins for a healthy body. They play a decisive role in many important processes in the body, as a result of which the absorbed food is converted into energy. They help maintain some of the functions of the system. Your life is unacceptable without useful elements. This is especially noticeable when there is a shortage of them. Deficiency responds to the integrity of all organs and tissues, as well as processes. A deficiency over a long period of time leads to poor performance, poor body condition, and then death.

Can the body reproduce vitamins on its own? The human body is not able to produce them on its own, but in limited cases synthesizes in a small volume.

Why are there so many names under B? As a result of the discovery of vitamin A, B became the next. But then it became clear that not one substance was identified, but a whole group of various vitamins. The names followed - B1, B2 and others. Today group B contains 8 items. Some substances that were previously mistakenly referred to as B were excluded from the group, it was found that the designations of these elements are incorrect, and the products themselves can be harmful to the body. The vitamins that were discovered later received new names.

Can vitamins be dangerous

As a rule, people do not get all the necessary elements for life in sufficient quantities. For example, in the tropical region, residents suffer from deficiencies in D and B. In the northern part of the world, there is a lack of A and C. It has been proven that excessive absorption of vitamins A, B and D is dangerous for humans. But B2, C, E, nicotinic acid and K can be obtained immensely. Simply put, this means that eating vegetables, fruits and their juices, even in large quantities, is safe for health.

Also, when it comes to norms, situations are different. Sometimes a certain substance is required more, at other times less. Each organism has individual needs.

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Retinol was discovered in 1931, and already in 1974 its production began using a synthetic method. It is found only in food of animal origin. Plant food is endowed with provitamins A, which, after entering the large intestine, are converted into A. Retinol is very useful, but it easily decomposes under the sun's rays (ultraviolet light) and is very afraid of heat treatment.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

Many world scientists fought for the right of the discoverer of ascorbic acid. But the “father” of vitamin C is a scientist from Hungary - Albert Saint-Györgyi. He isolated this element in 1928 from cabbage leaf, orange and red pepper. But another, already an American scientist, Charles Glen King went much further. After his experiments in 1932, he confirmed that the new substance was ascorbic acid, and then determined its exact structure.

By the way, if people had not changed, having lost the ability of their ancestors, they could, like most animals, synthesize it on their own. But, alas, we have to consume this important element along with food.

Vitamin E (tocopherol)

This substance is famous for its high amount of natural antioxidants. It is sometimes also called the extract of beauty and youth. Back in 1922, scientists, having studied the diet of animals, realized which element has a beneficial effect on their reproductive performance. The same applies to people, the "potion of fertility" was assigned the fifth letter of the alphabet.

Vitamin D

The main "members" of group D are D2 and D3. It is found in animal foods. It enters the body not only during meals, but also when taking a "sun bath". But do not confuse natural sunlight with tanning lamps; in a spa tanning, vitamin D is not absorbed. It is responsible for the exchange of calcium and phosphorus, influences the absorption of A and magnesium, helps to build new bones, and normalizes heart activity.

Vitamin K

The element got its name from the English "coagulation" - in translation "folding". Its main role in the body is to be responsible for blood clotting and maintaining the shape of blood vessels. It helps prevent cancer, tuberculosis, and in combination with A and C, it also protects against colds. The bulk of this substance is produced by intestinal bacteria.

The immune system of many people, often due to a number of factors, is reduced. Therefore, for prevention, you should monitor your condition and take a sufficient amount of vitamins with food. If you regularly eat only healthy foods, then your body will be safe for many years.

Vitamins are an important part of our diet, but you probably haven't thought about the chemical structures and chemistry of a vitamin. The article provides interesting facts about vitamins, considers the structure and chemistry of the vitamin. Below is an infographic that shows the chemical structures of vitamins. The structure of the vitamin can often vary slightly. The structures shown in the infographics are generally accepted. Vitamins perform a wide range of functions in the body. Let's take a look at the basic facts about vitamins and understand the matter.

Vitamin nomenclature

To begin with, it's worth understanding what makes a chemical compound a vitamin. Vitamin - this is any organic compound that a living organism requires, but it is not able to produce itself, or cannot produce in the amounts required by the body. Vitamins do not include other important nutrients that are found in our diet, such as amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, and minerals.

Currently there 13 recognized vitamins: vitamins A-E, including a number of group vitamins AT, and vitamin TO... A slightly weird spelling gap between vitamins E and K is a consequence of changes in the notation of vitamins: for example, vitamin B7- biotin, previously called vitamin H... Originally taken as compound vitamins F before J is no longer classified as a vitamin.

Classification and structure of vitamin

Generally, we can divide all vitamins into two broad categories. Fat-soluble vitamins - vitamins A, D, and K... They can be stored by our body in the liver or in adipose tissues. They are stored until needed. Water soluble vitamins - are not stored in the body. They should be an integral part of the diet to avoid deficiency. On the other hand, water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, which can cause an overdose, which can also be detrimental.

The chemical structure of the vitamin is different. Vitamin D, for example, occurs in nature only in the form shown in the figure. Others, such as vitamin E, can be in the form of a number of structures of similar compounds, with various substituents.

Properties and uses of vitamin

Vitamins have wide range of roles in the body, a summary of which is given in the graph above. For example, the amounts of vitamins are important for the creation of red blood cells and for the metabolism of various compounds during digestion. Others have uses in specific parts of the body: for example, a vitamin AND is essential for our vision, while vitamin TO plays an important role in the blood clotting process. Besides, vitamin deficiency may have undesirable consequences: vitamin deficiency FROM can lead to scurvy (mourning). Lack of vitamin TO may cause bleeding problems.

So should we still take vitamin supplements to avoid these problems? If you are on a balanced diet, then most likely you are already getting these vitamins in the required amounts. Sometimes vitamins are recommended for those at risk of a deficiency. However, for the general population, the rationale for taking a vitamin is a bit misguided. A review of studies involving a total of 400,000 people taking vitamin supplements found that vitamins do not affect the body enough to prevent chronic illness or death.